When BBDO Detroit announced that they're closing shop at the end of January, it served as final notice that an era of Detroit advertising is coming to an end. Great shop. Great people. I even did some work there for a moment.

Home of the Big Three automakers, the Detroit market sat on a very big throne for decades. As the car clients' needs changed, we changed along with it. Detroit has the highest unemployment stats in the country, so the change wasn't for the better for hundreds of the D's ad folk.

But a change is gonna come for the Detroit advertising market.

And I believe it will be good.

The numbers of brilliant ad people out here is staggering. But I believe many of them will take the initiative to turn things around. I think we'll see a rise in boutique shops. Smart. Lean. Fast. Each one will have a niche – social media, digital, guerrila, experiential. (All of those great ideas you could never sell? A lot of dream projects may finally see the light of day.) Not all of these shops will survive though. I think the start-ups with growth potential will be the shops who can win clients from other states. Potential clients are slim pickings in these parts. But a California winery or a boat builder in Miami might take a chance and tap into the Detroit brain trust. (Potential agency name?) Just underbid the competition and over deliver quality work.

Some imaginative minds combined with a few savvy sales people might be the ideal mix. I know many – too many – that are joining forces right now.

So if people are putting together teams, would they choose you? Would they be enticed to join you if you asked? Taking an honest (and possibly painful) assessment of yourself may be a necessary step to determine your value. You want to put yourself in a position where you are indispensable to your team. By no means am I implying that you or someone is unemployed because you were bad at your jobs.  I'm asking you to clearly identify your strengths and play them up – on your resume, your portfolios, anything a potential employer, partner or client can immediately see. Look for the opportunities that will make you the go-to person. In these new boutiques, everyone will be the go-to persons when it comes to their specialties.

By all means, build your expertise in other areas too. Study social media. Learn to build web sites and program video games. But don't  make people guess about what you specialize in right now. They may have an immediate need for a CRM expert. Those new skills will help grow the business down the line. Make yourself a first draft pick by promoting your strengths. And make yourself an MVP by diversifying your abilities.

Enticed by great tax incentives, the film industry has also started to take a chance on Detroit. Even a few studios are planning to open shop in the D. I don't think we'll become Hollywood Midwest (but it would be great to be wrong about this). Still, I look forward to local directors, production crews and edit suites benefiting from the new opportunities. If you are thinking about pursuing film as a career and you're new to the business, know that jobs come and go like construction work. You can work for several weeks and go several weeks before another job comes up.

For those who are struggling for answers, stay focused. It will come – just like that ad campaign you struggled with on those late nights and weekends. The idea will reveal itself. I know. I've been there.

A change is gonna come for the Detroit advertising market.

It won't be the same market. That chapter is closed.

It'll just be different.

And it will be good again.